This being the season for cheers and merriment and good will, jeers would seem positively gauche. So we shall dispense with the jeers for this, the week of Christmas, and bring you nothing but cheers.
Cheers: The Force, apparently, is with Vancouver. With the latest addition to the “Star Wars” catalogue opening Thursday night, many of the showings throughout the region have been sold out for months. The movie is the seventh installment in the series, and the first new release in a decade.
Meanwhile, a new generation of fans has grown up watching the old movies — especially the original trilogy — on home video. That is something that many of their parents did not have available during childhood, and it has enhanced the anticipation that accompanies many movie releases these days. As this weekend’s opening in Clark County and elsewhere is demonstrating, a love for “Star Wars” is something that transcends generational differences.
Cheers: Heroes, it could be said, are forged by an uncommon reaction to extraordinary circumstances. That pretty much describes Neil C. Burkhardt and his actions on Feb. 4, 2014, when he tackled an active shooter at the Vancouver Veterans Affairs office. Now, Burkhardt has been honored with a medal from the Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Heroes Fund Commission.
“One thing I always want to say, there were many heroes that day,” said Burkhardt, who saw combat duty in Iraq as a Marine, as he mentioned those who tended to the wounded victim. But Burkhardt’s action likely prevented additional casualties, demonstrating an uncommon reaction in an extraordinary circumstances.
Cheers: Thanks to the Vancouver Autism Moms Support Group and The Arc of Southwest Washington, many children with disabilities got to enjoy a rite of childhood they might otherwise have missed. Because many people with autism and related disorders often are uncomfortable with crowded areas, The Arc provided a quiet, calm place for those kids to meet Santa Claus.
The Sensory Santa event allowed the children to avoid the overstimulation that can come with a visit to a typical shopping mall. “One mom came up and said her daughter had never had a picture with Santa because she’s afraid,” organizer Melissa Dodge said. “But today she rushed right up.”
Cheers: The efforts of Skyview High School teacher Beverly Questad and student Richard Lu resulted in a humanitarian donation and an international friendship. When an earthquake in Nepal in April left hundreds of thousands of people homeless, the Vancouver pair forged a plan to provide 20 tents to the affected region. To make a long story short, one that was described recently by Columbian reporter Susan Parrish, purchase and delivery of the tents was arranged through a Chinese manufacturer.
The tagline to the story is that Nepali resident Navraj LemiChhane, who Questad had met two years ago while volunteering in the country and who was enlisted to assist with the donation, has now arrived in Vancouver and plans to begin classes at Washington State University. Proving once again that it is, indeed, a small world.
Cheers: Some 71 years after they graduated from what was then Vancouver High School, members of the Class of 1944 still gather for a monthly luncheon. About 25 classmates are on the contact list for the get-togethers, and 15 or so showed up for a recent meeting chronicled by Columbian reporter Tom Vogt.
Bud Rider and his wife, Annabelle, have been married for 68 years, and many of the graduates have known each other for more than 85 years. By sharing old memories and new tales, they frequently demonstrate that old ties often are the strongest.
